September 5, 2017

Plum upside-down cake. I got on a real plum kick last summer, but little Eva has greatly limited my kitchen time this year.

I'm okay with that, because she's adorable.

I did have a chance to make this gorgeous show-stopper of a plum cake! It positively glistens, and if you're careful with your plum placement, you can have the most lovely pattern on the bottom-turned-top. I got a little fancy with this upside-down cake, flavoring it with Nielsen-Massey orange blossom water. I've never baked with this particular flavor before, and I was really pleased with the results--you could taste a little bit of citrus in the cake but it wasn't medicinal or perfumy at all.

In addition to the orange blossom water, I was sure to add my two favorite spices of the moment, cinnamon and cardamom. My reference recipe used brown sugar in the fruity component, but I was out and since there was no way I was lugging my gal to the grocery store for one item, I used raw sugar instead. That recipe also used honey in the topping, but I prefer maple syrup so that's what I used.

This is a delicious cake! It's moist on the inside, and that buttery, sugary, fruity topping makes every bite even more fantastic. You don't need vanilla ice cream to round it out, but hey--why not gild the lily every once in awhile!

Take some time to make this cake while plums are still around. You won't regret it.

I have not received your blog posts until just recently..... now I know why! What a precious little darling! Like Cali said, you are MUCH better off with your beautiful daughter, the kitchen will wait, she won't.